OK – soooooo TF gave me my forks back today – im putting them back into my frame – I have these weird spacers left over though – IF I never took the headset off im good right??????? One spacer has a lip, the other doesnt- the forks seem stable and tight in the head tube anyways – any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thing is I dont remember seeing my fork steerer showing before – like under the stem…. yknow??

pics?

Well -i have no idea what im doing. Ive taken it apart and now I cant get it back together – Discs dont go back into the brakes, gears dont sit right, head tube steerer is still showing – ive stuffed it. So pissed off.

what make is your headset?

Sort out some pics of the front of the bike – headtube and steerer – and some pics of your ‘spare spacers’. Reckon that someone here will be able to work it out from that.

OK – think I may have to do that. Head set is fsa 1.5, also I think I squeezed the levers whilst the wheels were off – is this why the discs wont go back in??

That definitely sounds like the reason why you can’t get the discs back in. does your headset look like this

https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/images/products/Xtra/18419.jpg

does the spacer with a lip have a split in it?

Yeah – when squeezing the brakes I noticed the pads didn’t return to where they were originally….

Yup pretty much like that one – apart from a rubber ring and a super small silver L profile ring that came from the top the two black rings ive got left are all I have – IM 80% sure they are just spacers but it worries me how if I put both on my stem wont fit on now….

OK finally managed to sort it all out – the spacer actually does fit under the stem – its a super tight fit but it goes under the stem into an indent – because the stems steerer hole is cut at and angle so the stem rises.

Brakes are slowly getting there – still stick though – any tips on adjusting this>>> They are the old hope mono m4.

Also – how can you tell your bars are straight??? Is there a method???

Re: the brakes, if you pop the pads out, you should be able to (slowly) push the pistons back into the caliper.

As far as telling when your bars are straight, dunno if there’s an official or “correct” method but I’ve always just lined them up by eye. Stand in front of the bike with the front wheels between your knees, then twist the bars until they’re at right angles to the wheel. It’s easiest if you’ve not got the headset torqued up (but not so slack that everything’s just slopping about all over the shop).

G